


Our Final Meeting

by Inwiste



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, I was feeling a bit angsty so yeah, Past Character Death, references to past events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:08:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21883513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inwiste/pseuds/Inwiste
Summary: Legolas has not seen Tauriel since she left Mirkwood to live with the dwarves - In the Mines of Moria, he finds her once again. The meeting is not what he expected - or wished for.
Relationships: Legolas Greenleaf & Tauriel
Kudos: 54





	Our Final Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wondered what happened to Tauriel after the Hobbit, but it is not super clear. I had an idea that she went to live with the dwarves and decided to go to Moria, and the story goes from there. It's a bit sad. In this, it references her act of treason (disobeying the king's orders, threatening his life, etc.). In my mind, Legolas never left Mirkwood but Tauriel did. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Tolkien.

Legolas hated the decision but he knew it was the only way. Caradhras was too dangerous and the Gap of Rohan was too close to Isengard, which left them with one choice: The Mines of Moria. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected to find when he entered, but it wasn’t this. In Mirkwood, they had heard whispers of evil lingering in the mines and had also heard of the dwarves’ plan to retake the mines. 

It was an absolute massacre. He’d seen it before. Too many times.

The dwarves had never stood a chance. From the number of arrows, dwarves, and the state of the place, the dwarves seemed like they had been outnumbered. They had been in the mines for a day and the signs of carnage were everywhere. 

Legolas worked to suppress his glow, which wasn’t hard in the end. The mines felt evil and foreboding. There was something stirring here, something the dwarves had awakened. He didn’t know what it was and he was not eager to find out. 

The trek through the mines was mostly silent, save for the occasional directions from Mithrandir and words from Gimli. Legolas could not help but feel sorry for the dwarf. He could feel anguish radiating off of him. He understood the feeling. It was not the first time he had seen his own kin brutally slaughtered either, but he chose to keep quiet. 

On the third day, it became clear to him that something, or someone, was following them. His elven eyes strained to see in the darkness, but despite this, he saw movement in the dark several times. He moved to the front of the group to speak with Mithrandir, and they conversed quietly in Sindarin. 

“Mithrandir, there is something here with us. I cannot see exactly what it is, but it is not a goblin or another fell beast.” Mithrandir sighed and nodded. The mines seemed to be taking a toll on him as well. His eyes, though tired, were wary and alert, similar to the rest of him. He looked as if he had aged 30 years in the three days they had been here. Legolas most likely didn’t look much better. His body was fine, but his fëa felt the evil weighing it down. “I know, Legolas. I sensed it a little while ago. I believe it is Gollum following us. His desire for the ring is what keeps him alive, and what makes him follow us.” 

“Do you believe we are in any danger?”

“No. I do not. We are a large group, and Gollum is quite far behind. I doubt he could get within 100 feet of us without you and Aragorn noticing.”

He was right, of course. Gollum stayed very far behind them, never posing a true threat to their company. Legolas wasn’t worried about him though. The goblins had killed the dwarves, so where were they now? He did not believe they had left Moria, but he could not tell. There was so much death and evil here, it interfered with his senses. He longed for the freedom of the wood and his father, but he knew it would be a long time before he saw either of them. The quest was the most important. 

It was times like these where he could not help but think of Tauriel. His father had welcomed her to come back and ignored the treason she committed, but she still declined. He knew she had gone to live with the dwarves, but beyond that, he was unsure of what had happened to her.

He still missed her occasionally. She had been an excellent captain and warrior, despite her temper sometimes getting the best of her. She had also been an amazing friend. They had spent many evenings in each other’s company and got into a great deal of mischief together. Those days were long gone though. Even before the battle and Smaug, she had become withdrawn and distant. Her usual brightness had faded, and he never knew why. 

Kíli’s death had been the nail in the proverbial coffin. 

Tauriel had found love, only to lose it right after she found it. At that moment, it seemed like something inside her had broken, and she was no longer the commander and friend he knew or the girl he had watched grow up. That girl was gone. Long gone. 

On the fourth day, they reached the Chamber of Mazarbul, as Mithrandir and Gimli called it. Inside, he saw a sight he would never forget,

Similar to the rest of the mines, the skeletons of long-dead dwarves were everywhere, but one of the bodies was not of a dwarf. It was an elf. 

He recognized the blades clutched in its skeletal hands and the dusty red hair still clinging to its skull. The armor was the armor of a Mirkwood captain, with some modifications. It was Tauriel. Two arrows pierced the heart and the stomach of her skeleton, which were most likely what killed her. 

Mithrandir noticed Legolas halt in his steps and followed Legolas’ gaze to the skeleton propped up against the front of Balin’s tomb. He sighed and turned to Legolas, eyes sad and weary but focused on Legolas. “It is her, isn’t it?”

The Fellowship turned to Legolas at this point, curious about their exchange. Gimli was still in shock and was grieving, but he was confused as well. What was Gandalf talking about? 

Legolas nodded once. “Yes, Mithrandir. It is her. I was unsure of what had happened to her, following her departure to live with the dwarves, but now I know. Tauriel of Mirkwood is dead.”  
The Fellowship was confused. Aragorn stepped forward, his hand outstretched to grab Legolas’ arm, but Legolas moved out of the way. Legolas recognized the hurt look in his eye, but shook it off. “It is nothing. An old friend. Gimli has suffered much more than I have. I met Balin several times. He was an honorable and wise dwarf. My deepest condolences to you, Mellon nín.”

Gimli nodded but didn’t acknowledge. The rest of the Fellowship still looked confused, but a look from Boromir kept the hobbits from asking questions.

Mithrandir moved across the room to a different dwarf and grabbed the book clutched in its hands. At this time, Legolas moved to the skeleton and knelt before it. The remains of his friend were mostly bones now, besides the bits of hair and sinew, as well as the clothes and the blades. 

Gazing into the skeleton’s empty sockets, he could not help but wonder what her final moments were like. It seemed like she did not suffer, for which he was grateful. His heart was aching at the sight of his long-time friend reduced to bones before him. Thoughts of his failure to make her stay ran through his mind, but he pushed them away. He had something to do. 

He rested his hand on her shoulder, closed his eyes, and began to speak.”Savo hîdh neñ gurth. Govado i nothrim în ah i mellyn în mi Mannos.” He then opened his eyes and gently took the dual daggers from the skeleton’s hands. He put them in his pack and stood once more. 

He straightened his back and his mask slid into place once again. This was no place to mourn, nor was it the time to. He would survive, and he would grieve for Tauriel the way she deserved. She was a hero and a friend. He wished that this had not been their final meeting, but wishes were not often fulfilled in times of darkness. Only in the light did good fortune seem to endure. 

He drew his bow and drew an arrow out of his quiver, his eyes trained on the door. He was ready. The door broke, his first arrow flew.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!
> 
> The phrases Legolas said are the last rites for her in wood elven Sindarin taken from realelvish.net. Here are the translations. 
> 
> Govado i nothrim în ah i mellyn în mi Mannos. - May you meet your family and friends in the afterlife/Mandos' Halls. 
> 
> Savo hîdh neñ gurth. - Have peace in death.


End file.
